Telling stories online (a log)

The assignment was to tell our story in an online environment. Ironically I was assigned one of the two I was fully prepared to do already: an IM-based chat. Since I know many, many people who are on AIM, and many of them are frequent chatters, I sort of cheated and dropped into an existing (and regularly-occurring) chatroom. It also, conveniently, is peopled by total nerds. Who have questionable senses of humor. As you’ll see. I sanitized the chat logs of their SNs and then checked to see if they wanted anything else cut (which they didn’t), and here are the results (this is just the record of the discussion, my analysis will be undertaken in a later post (now linked)):

(21:17:57) Me: So! Who wants to help me with my homework tonight?
(21:18:12) Jen: what’s your homework?
(21:18:32) Me: My homework is to tell the story of my Dragon*Con 2009 experience to a group in an IM-based chatroom.
(21:18:56) Mai: Now, where will you ever find an IM based chatroom?
(21:18:59) Mai: ;)
(21:19:07) Tim: Oh noes, whatever will we do?
(21:19:08) Jen: And why would you think we would be interested in a D*C story
(21:19:34) Me: Well, I -almost- just IMed all my roommates from the con and put a room together with them…
(21:19:42) Me: Because the irony was too delicious…
(21:19:46) Jen: hee
(21:20:26) Me: But then I realized I was lazy. And was already in a chat.
(21:21:16) Me: But I don’t want to force anyone to listen to my AWESOME STORIES, so I figured I’d ask if anyone was interested.
(21:22:11) Mai: Sure, why not?
(21:22:12) Jen: what class are you taking with that assignment?
(21:22:31) Jen: (btw I was being sarcastic before… we’re all geeks here ;) )
(21:23:43) Me: Live Web. It’s a class on designing and building live-interaction web services. And today was Collective Storytelling where our homework assignment is to write a 7700+ word piece of fanfic.
(21:23:51) Me: And I’m the only person in the class who’s ever read fanfic.
(21:23:57) Me: Also: that should be 700+
(21:24:04) Me: A more reasonable amount to write in a week.
(21:24:04) Jen: wow that sounds cool
(21:24:19) Me: I do so love my school.
(21:24:36) Tim: That’s freakin awesome
(21:25:05) Me: Okay… STORY TIEM! Everyone grab a chair and a spoon because I have cookie dough.l
(21:25:36) Nic: \o/
(21:25:55) Me: *clears throat* *glances at notes* *reminds you all that you’re free to interrupt or go about your business* :)
(21:26:37) Me: Soooo… over Labor Day weekend I did what I do most every Labor Day weekend. I went to Atlanta to geek out and wear funny costumes. Because that’s what you do at Dragon*Con!
(21:27:04) Jen: What is Dragon*Con?
(21:27:14) Me: Dragon*Con is a massive geek convention.
(21:27:24) Me: http://dragoncon.org/
(21:27:36) Me: Attendance is usually between 35k and 40k.
(21:27:52) Me: It’s sort of like SDCC if it were smaller, less comercial, and in a much lamer city.
(21:28:08) Nic: What’s a nubian?
(21:28:23) Jen: hahaha I was so thinking about asking that
(21:28:31) Me: I hate you all so much.
(21:28:37) Nic: you looooove us
(21:28:51) Me: And you should know you’ll each be first up against the wall when the revolution comes, even if I have to invent a time machine to make that possible.
(21:29:09) Me: ANYWAY!
(21:29:27) Nic: Mmm, up against the wall….
(21:29:40) Me: … don’t make me write that fic.
(21:29:49) Jen: me and Nic together? kiiiiiiinky
(21:29:57) Nic: *bats eyes innocently*
(21:30:09) Me: I am so posting this log on my class blog.
(21:30:29) Me: Now everyone in class will look at me like I’m a crazy person.
(21:30:32) Me: Er… crazier.
(21:31:33) Me: No matter how often I go to D*C (and I go pretty often), it’s always surreal. Because when you have that many geeks together in one place the weird is suddenly normal.
(21:32:41) Me: It’s a pretty awesome experience to wander around downtown Atlanta when you’re weird if you’re not looking all geeky or in costume.
(21:32:58) Nic: Except it’s hotter than hell, no?
(21:33:09) Me: Ugh. It soooo is. Though this year it was nice and overcast!
(21:33:21) Jen: what kind of costumes?
(21:33:33) Me: I’m glad you asked! *has pictures*
(21:36:04) Me: http://www.rushin-doll.net/pics/main.php?g2_itemId=704 (Note the amazing hat.)
(21:36:29) Jen: that is an awesome hat
(21:37:04) Me: Anyway, it’s a really interesting experience to be in a place where there is so much geekery that it’s normalized. People who avoid letting their coworkers know what they do with their spare time… Suddenly they can’t stop flailing excitedly.
(21:37:19) Me: And there’s a joy to seeing all those geeks let themselves relax and just be… themselves.
(21:37:30) Me: Also, did I mention the fun costumes?
(21:37:33) Nic: Among their own kind, yes.
(21:37:46) Me: THE END! Basically. Though further discussion and questions are cool.
(21:38:08) Me: Also? That hat was the cause of me missing an entire day of planned RP.
(21:38:17) Jen: You made that hat?
(21:38:21) Me: Yep.
(21:38:25) Jen: *impressed*
(21:38:29) Me: I think I might wear it to school tomorrow.
(21:39:17) Me: But, yes, all of you should come next year.
(21:39:20) Me: *insists*
(21:39:27) Jen: I would but I hate crowds
(21:39:49) Nic: tempting
(21:39:59) Nic: But I would be kidnapped by the larpers
(21:40:11) Nic: And they would force me to be the Rat Queen.
(21:40:17) Jen: I think we could take them
(21:40:28) Me: I am big and scary,, it turns out.
(21:40:38) Me: Well… scary for a guy wearing a hat draped in pink feathers…
(21:40:49) Nic: heeee
(21:41:13) Me: Which might make me EXTRA SCARY, you know.
(21:41:27) Jen: a rare man who is secure in his masculinity and not afraid to wear pink
(21:42:16) Bridge: atlanta is harder to get to than california, sadly :-(
(21:42:35) Me: LIES!
(21:42:41) Me: THEY ARE EQUIDISTANT!
(21:43:16) Me: Also… if people don’t mind I’m totally going to put this log in my class blog. With SNs obscured. If you object or want something censored out, do let me know ;)
(21:43:24) Jen: go for it
(21:43:33) Nic: *flashes your class*
(21:43:42) Me: Thanks, Nic. Now everyone will know how classy my friends are.

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